*Leaving for a week - what to do about the tank??*

Gtinnel

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Will they be OK eating dry food for a week? It's New Life Spectrum.

(I usually mix up their feeding, going from frozen to dry every other day)
Yes they will be fine eating only pellets for a week, but if you go with an autofeeder before you leave you need to make sure it is working properly and not dumping in a ton of food. My fish will go days without eating anything other than NLS pellets from my autofeeder just because I get busy and don't get around to feeding them.

Honestly with the fish you have, assuming they are healthy, they should be able to go a week without food without any issue. IMO your ATO is the bigger issue if it can't go a week without being filled.
 

ThePurple12

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I am not sure what your concern over the hammer is. All it needs is for the light to come on and everything to work.
This :)

Hammers are on the hardier side of corals, and I can't think of anything bad that could happen to yours while you're away James, as long as you have electricity.
 

malacoda

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Autofeeder to feed the fish. (While they may not be 'happy', they'll probably be fine without food for a week.)

If you have an ATO on your tank, just get a rubbermaid tub from Lowe's or HD that will hold enough RODI water to account for however much evaporation you normally top-off for in a week. Fill it up. Put it next to your tank. And put your ATO intake line into it.

I've left my 65g for up to 5 weeks at a stretch with just autofeeders and a big ATO tub.

You can just clean the glass when you get back.

(All this assumes that, if your dosing alk and calc, you have a doser already set up. If you dosing by hand, then, yah, teach your neighbor what to do.)
 

LiamPM

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Dont overthink it. Do nothing except fill your ATO container.
If you dont have an ATO then nows the time to get one and make sure it runs fine the next few days leading.

Fish and coral will all be fine for 7 days with nothing more than the usual equipment running.

Your at a much bigger risk of negatives happening by asking someone to do something they arent comfortable with than just leaving it be. Ask your neighbour to just have a "look in" and text you a few times during the week but to do nothing other than look, for peace of mind.

Ive left my tanks A LOT for 7 day periods without issues at all. Just top the ATO container up and maybe feed heavier than usual the few nights before leading.
 

jmichaelh7

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Don't make this as complicated as it really is.

ask whoever is coming over (Parents or neighbor) and show them what and where the ATO reservoir is,and where the RODI water is so they can refill it when it's low.

Put out cubes or flakes what every you feed, and let them know you will call them when it's time to feed. Or you can say once a day stop by and drop 4 cubes in , etc etc.
 

josvanmeer

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Get an autofeeder, and just leave the tank alone for a week. No need for someone to come in your house. If you feed the fish really well on normal days they have a fine reserve and really dont need the extra beef. Just put some good pellets or flakes in there and call it a day man. This is really not that complicated. I would leave literally right now on a surprise trip to the bahamas for a week and not even care about the tank. It runs like butter. If you do not have a controller with alerts you have shot yourself in the foot already. What the heck is that neighbor gonna do when your pump fails lol.
 
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James_O

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Thanks guys!!!

I am concerned about the hammer, because I recently had a very small torch die, and I thought I was to blame. However, my LFS sold it to me when it was JUST fragged and it had a cracked skeleton.

I guess I'm sort of nervous about the whole situation? I don't want it to die.

Looks good now though:
P1100010.JPG


ATO container.
If you have an ATO
I don't have one, sadly. I just manually top off usually. :/

Evap. shouldn't be THAT much in a week?
 

Gtinnel

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Thanks guys!!!

I am concerned about the hammer, because I recently had a very small torch die, and I thought I was to blame. However, my LFS sold it to me when it was JUST fragged and it had a cracked skeleton.

I guess I'm sort of nervous about the whole situation? I don't want it to die.

Looks good now though:
P1100010.JPG




I don't have one, sadly. I just manually top off usually. :/

Evap. shouldn't be THAT much in a week?
I would absolutely not let your tank go for a week without top off water. I would figure out how much water you typically add and set aside pre measured water for the neighbor to add every day or two.

I'm sure you probably know this but an ATO is one of the parts of a tank that are well worth what they cost and are a valuable tool in keeping your salinity stable.
 
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James_O

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I would absolutely not let your tank go for a week without top off water. I would figure out how much water you typically add and set aside pre measured water for the neighbor to add every day or two.

I'm sure you probably know this but an ATO is one of the parts of a tank that are well worth what they cost and are a valuable tool in keeping your salinity stable.
Might have time to get an ATO system before I have to leave?

Any cheapish suggestions?
 

workhz

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I got an autoaqua lite 260p off amazon for $66 or so which I've been happy with so far (mind you, probably a month or under so not a long track record). Does what I need it to do but I have a sump and don't have to worry about snails etc.
 

Sebastiancrab

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I would get an ATO and 2 auto feeders up and running at least a week before you leave. Eheim is a good brand. I set one feeder for the morning and the other in the evening. This way, if one has a problem, you have a backup. I also have a backup heater set at a lower temp all the time. The next time I travel, I will probably turn the sump off and run a hang on filter instead. I will also set up double the ATO water I normally have by using my 10 gal quarantine tank.
 

tehmadreefer

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No need to feed, livestock they will be just fine, they can go weeks without eating. Corals don’t even need food besides what they get from the fish. Just make sure to have plenty of top off water and a good ATO. A week away isn’t a big deal and baring any disasters, your tank will more than likely benefit from being left alone…

a week without top off water is asking for trouble.
 
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I will probably turn the sump off and run a hang on filter instead.
I have a HOB filter now, no sump.

I got an autoaqua lite 260p off amazon for $66 or so which I've been happy with so far (mind you, probably a month or under so not a long track record). Does what I need it to do but I have a sump and don't have to worry about snails etc.
Thanks, I'll look into that!

auto feeders
I might look into 1 auto feeder. I'm not to keen on the idea however, because I hear they are unreliable.
 

ying yang

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I usually go on holiday for 14 days.What i do is get some tiny zip lock bags from local shop ( 5cm x 5 cm) and put enough food in for 1 day and ask mother in law to come over every 3rd day and empty bag in certain part of tank where i normally feed from.
I hide all the rest of food incase she or if brings nieces/ nephews with her and they want to feed fish more.so if cant find food they cant feed more ha ha.
Now above is on freshwater tanks as only 4 months into saltwater but when covid allows me to go on holiday again i will do same as above but either turn skimmer completely off or make it run super dry and attach drain line to large container i can find ( probably best turned off)
In your case with all close family going to a military camp for the week and no phones then maybe best speaking with your parents and say/ agree if neighbour comes over to top off evaporation and feed ,if a problem like heater fails or power head/ return pump fails then as back up have neighbour call lfs owner to come and get tank up and running at its basic form.

But would need to tell neighbour to check thermoter and make sure powerheads/ returns working and have some kind of agreement with lfs owner if a heater fails not to add a £500 heater plus apex system and 5 x mp60's and top of range equipment and come back to a £ 5k bill from lfs lol when a lfs could just put a £ 20 heater in or even loaned you one till you get back.
I only joke but good to have back up plans agreed before problem occurs.
If you anything like me then you will have back up heater,back up return pump,power head etc so would just need changing but dont worry to much into it but would be good idea to go get yourself an ato and have it running for few days before you go to iron out any teething issues.
 
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James_O

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I usually go on holiday for 14 days.What i do is get some tiny zip lock bags from local shop ( 5cm x 5 cm) and put enough food in for 1 day and ask mother in law to come over every 3rd day and empty bag in certain part of tank where i normally feed from.
I hide all the rest of food incase she or if brings nieces/ nephews with her and they want to feed fish more.so if cant find food they cant feed more ha ha.
Now above is on freshwater tanks as only 4 months into saltwater but when covid allows me to go on holiday again i will do same as above but either turn skimmer completely off or make it run super dry and attach drain line to large container i can find ( probably best turned off)
In your case with all close family going to a military camp for the week and no phones then maybe best speaking with your parents and say/ agree if neighbour comes over to top off evaporation and feed ,if a problem like heater fails or power head/ return pump fails then as back up have neighbour call lfs owner to come and get tank up and running at its basic form.

But would need to tell neighbour to check thermoter and make sure powerheads/ returns working and have some kind of agreement with lfs owner if a heater fails not to add a £500 heater plus apex system and 5 x mp60's and top of range equipment and come back to a £ 5k bill from lfs lol when a lfs could just put a £ 20 heater in or even loaned you one till you get back.
I only joke but good to have back up plans agreed before problem occurs.
If you anything like me then you will have back up heater,back up return pump,power head etc so would just need changing but dont worry to much into it but would be good idea to go get yourself an ato and have it running for few days before you go to iron out any teething issues.
I have no concerns for the FW tank. I have left them for 7 days at a time and feel comfortable doing so. :)

So... the hammer should be OK for a week, no monitoring from me?

——

I’m still looking into ATO’s.
 

Gtinnel

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I might look into 1 auto feeder. I'm not to keen on the idea however, because I hear they are unreliable.
I use the eheim and have been happy with it once I got it set correctly. My only complaint is that even on its smallest opening it still dumps more food than I'd like. So I covered part of the hole with tape.
 

Frizzy reefnewb

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Dont overthink it. Do nothing except fill your ATO container.
If you dont have an ATO then nows the time to get one and make sure it runs fine the next few days leading.

Fish and coral will all be fine for 7 days with nothing more than the usual equipment running.

Your at a much bigger risk of negatives happening by asking someone to do something they arent comfortable with than just leaving it be. Ask your neighbour to just have a "look in" and text you a few times during the week but to do nothing other than look, for peace of mind.

Ive left my tanks A LOT for 7 day periods without issues at all. Just top the ATO container up and maybe feed heavier than usual the few nights before leading.
I did this once and my neighbor killed 2 corals I was better off leaving it be
 
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James_O

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My mom keeps suggesting I bring the hammer into my LFS, so they can “baby sit it” while I’m gone.:rolleyes:

I have tried to tell her this is a bad idea, because everything is different (parameters/lights) AND I just got it yesterday...)
 

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